California Farms Missing Workers After Immigration Enforcement: GOP Lawmakers Ask Trump Administration for Help

Raids and apprehensions by federal officials directed by the Trump administration are testing the daily functions of some agricultural producers. This was one of the potential pressure points discussed during Donald Trump’s campaign as agricultural leaders laid out what could happen if undocumented workers were removed from their workforce as a political priority to deport anyone not legally living in the United States.

The political policy of the new administration earned support from many voters who sided with Trump that workers should be legally eligible to hold employment in the United States. But the agricultural industry has been dependent on migrant labor for decades with as many as four or five out of ten farm workers believed to be undocumented, according to various estimates.

However, estimates in California are much higher where nearly three out of four farm workers may lack legal status in the United States. 

“In the fields, I would say 70% of the workers are gone,” Lisa Tate, a farmer in Ventura County, California, told The Guardian. “If 70% of your workforce doesn’t show up, 70% of your crop doesn’t get picked and can go bad in one day. Most Americans don’t want to do this work. Most farmers here are barely breaking even. I fear this has created a tipping point where many will go bust.“

California Is a Vital Agricultural State for Fruit and Vegetable Production

The area north of Los Angeles grows billions of dollars in fruits and vegetables. California is a critical state to the country’s overall agricultural production. Producers grow about one-third of the vegetables in the United States and more than three-fourths of the fruits and nuts, according to state agriculture officials.

Farmers in that area depend on migrant labor. This isn’t the apparel industry, where an absence of workers merely delays production of shirts while the fabric can wait until a set of hands can eventually pick it up to resume the process.

Fruits and vegetables in the fields will spoil. The Guardian story laid out the reality of the disappearing help as migrants dispersed as federal agents have prioritized rounding up the undocumented. One strawberry farm supervisor had 80 workers instead of the usual 300. Another reported overseeing just 17 out of the typical 80.

California Republican Lawmakers Want Trump Administration to Stop Farm Raids

What can producers do without migrant labor? Some California Republican elected officials believe that they can’t function without that workforce. State lawmakers joined to send a letter to the Trump administration to express how dire the situation is becoming.

“Unfortunately, the recent ICE workplace raids on farms, at construction sites, and in restaurants and hotels, have led to unintended consequences that are harming the communities we represent and the businesses that employ our constituents,” the lawmakers wrote. 

They continued, “We have heard from employers in our districts that recent ICE raids are not only targeting undocumented workers, but also creating widespread fear among other employees, including those with legal immigration status. This fear is driving vital workers out of critical industries.”

The legislators want federal action to improve the process for temporary legal status for workers. “From construction to hospitality to food processing, California’s employers are struggling to fill positions. Legal, temporary labor should be easier to access and better tailored to support a strong California economy,” the lawmakers’ letter included.

Legislators want immigration raids focused on removing criminals, not farm workers who help sustain agricultural operations.

“We urge you to direct ICE and DHS to focus their enforcement operations on criminal immigrants, and when possible, to avoid the kinds of sweeping raids that instill fear and disrupt the workplace,” the letter concluded.

RELATED:  Scott Bozzo, California’s American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers 2025 Farm Manager of the Year, explained to American Farmland Owner why farmland values have lost billions over the past year.